Screen Gems Acquires Action Spec ‘Padre’

EXCLUSIVE: In a solid six-figure deal, Screen Gems has acquiredPadre, a stark drama spec by Mike Maples. Greg Champion and Mark Lawyer will be producers and Screen Gems’ James Lopez will oversee it. The script has a No Country For Old Men and A History of Violence vibe to it. A priest, trying to atone for his bloody past as a special ops soldier, witnesses the brutal murder of members from his congregation by a malevolent Sheriff and his deputies. Tortured and left for dead in the desert, he survives. Then, he faces a crisis of conscience and the dawning realization that his past military training and three tours in Afghanistan may have been preparation for what his soul and his heart tell him is right. From there it goes all bad for the crooked cops.

Maples is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment, and attorneys Alan Wertheimer and Jeff Hynick rep the producers. James Lopez will oversee for Screen Gems. Maples previously wrote Miracle Run, a telepic which Champion directed.